Beef & beer stew is a warm and filling meal with tender chunks of beef, potatoes, root vegetables, and a strong, stout beer. A hearty and satisfying dish that is great served with some warm fresh bread and a cool crisp side salad.

Close up of beef stew in a red square bowl with skinny bread sticks

Beef and beer - a classic pairing. Two great tastes that taste great cooked together and are made even better by the slow and low cooking that is best handled by your crockpot. Some might refer to this as Irish stew (although traditional Irish stew is made with mutton, not beef). Whatever you want to call it, it is a slow cooker must. It is warm, filling, and satisfying on St Patty's day and any other day you choose to serve it!

How To Make Beef & Stout Stew

Ingredients

To make this delicious and easy stew you will need:

stew beef, cubed
potatoes
carrots
celery
onion
Worcestershire Sauce
fresh thyme
garlic
rosemary
beef broth
stout beer
bay leaves
salt and pepper
instant mashed potato flakes (optional)

Ingredients in slow cooker Guinness Stew with labels

Assembling Ingredients

This amazing stew is a dump and go classic! Start by adding beef to your slow cooker. Any stew meat will do here.

The long cooking time and the beer will both serve to tenderize your meat. Being lazy, I prefer to purchase stew meat that is already cut into chunks. If you would rather cut your own, chuck roast is a great choice.

Next, add all vegetables, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic, and rosemary to slow cooker. Broth and beer will follow. Stir all ingredients to combine. Bay leaves are added last and can be placed right on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours (I aim for 10 when possible).

All ingredients in slow cooker stirred together prior to cooking

Finishing

When you are ready to serve your stew, first remove the bay leaves, Then stir all ingredients again. You will want to taste your stew at this point so that you can add salt and/or pepper based on your preferences.

You can also adjust the consistency. If you want to thicken the stew, add one tablespoon of instant mashed potato flakes to your slow cooker and stir. if it is still not thick enough for your liking, continue to add potato flakes, one tablespoon at a time, stirring in between until desired consistency is achieved.

Ways To Serve Crockpot Beef Stew

Serve stew in a bowl with both a spoon and fork so you don't miss a drop of deliciousness. A thick piece of crusty bread is a great accompaniment. It can be used to dip into the sauce or to absorb whatever sauce may be left in your bowl at the end.

This stew can be a full meal on its own. A crisp side salad or some raw veggie sticks can make a great sidekick. Mashed cauliflower and corn spoon bread are perfect partners as well.

Red bowl with handles filled with stew. Beef, carrots and potatoes in a brown sauce topped with fresh herbs

How To Store Leftovers

Leftover stew can be stored in airtight bags or containers. It will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. This recipe also freezes really well and will last frozen for about 3 months, according to the FDA. This is a great dish to store in meal sized portions for easy reheat-and-eat meals. It re-heats very well in the microwave.

Beef & Beer Stew Hints & Hacks

This stew recipe calls for mini potatoes. I am often too lazy to cut up potatoes and this solves my problem. However, this recipe would work just as well with diced larger potatoes.
I am a fan of buying minced garlic by the jar. I prefer Spice World. Of course, fresh minced garlic would be a delicious upgrade to this recipe.
If you don't feel the gravy created by this dish is thick enough, the easiest way to thicken it up is to add mashed potato flakes. At the end of the cooking process, I add potato flakes one tablespoon at a time right into the pot until the gravy is the consistency I am looking for.
I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. This is, of course, an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price. Here are the liners I buy.
In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after.
This is a great dish if your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to low and everyone can have a warm and filling meal, no matter what time they are ready to eat.
While any brand of stout beer will do, Guinness is always a great choice.